North Star Asset Management Inc. Makes New $957,000 Investment in Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL

North Star Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 10,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $957,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CL. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC increased its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 15,877 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,255,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC now owns 4,503 shares of the company’s stock worth $356,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Cooper Financial Group raised its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 4.0% in the second quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 2,947 shares of the company’s stock worth $270,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the period. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,225,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gould Capital LLC boosted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 38.7% in the first quarter. Gould Capital LLC now owns 412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CL opened at $90.75 on Friday. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a 12 month low of $74.54 and a 12 month high of $99.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.82. The stock has a market cap of $72.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.01, a P/E/G ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a 50 day moving average of $92.02 and a 200 day moving average of $90.06.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.04. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 9.68% and a return on equity of 464.63%. The firm had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.36 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.92 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 20th were issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 84.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $106.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Barclays raised their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $80.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $104.00 to $103.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $99.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John T. Cahill sold 4,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.37, for a total transaction of $389,352.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 28,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,649,187.01. The trade was a 12.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 161,021 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.92, for a total transaction of $14,801,050.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 362,231 shares in the company, valued at $33,296,273.52. This represents a 30.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 175,191 shares of company stock worth $16,110,903. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Colgate-Palmolive

Colgate-Palmolive Company is a global consumer products company with a long history in household and personal care categories. The business traces its roots to the early 19th century and has evolved into a multinational manufacturer and marketer of everyday consumer goods focused on health, hygiene and home care.

The company’s core activities center on oral care, personal care, home care and pet nutrition. Its product portfolio includes toothpaste, toothbrushes and mouthwash in oral care; soaps, body washes and deodorants in personal care; dishwashing liquids, surface cleaners and other household products in home care; and scientifically formulated pet foods under its pet nutrition business.